Plea for urgent action after prison officer attacks
A prisons union has called for action "before there is a fatality" after an officer was slashed in the neck and another had a TV thrown at them.
The attacks happened at HMP Woodhill in Buckinghamshire and Gartree Prison in Leicestershire.
The general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association (POA), Steve Gillan, said "escalating levels of violence" were "out of control" in prisons in England and Wales.
The Prison Service said it would "do whatever is necessary to keep our staff safe".
One officer at HMP Woodhill, near Milton Keynes, was slashed in the neck and ear with an improvised weapon on Tuesday and needed stitches in hospital, the POA said.
In a second incident another inmate assaulted a member of staff, the union added.
Four officers in total needed hospital treatment but were discharged later on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, at Gartree Prison near Market Harborough, a female officer was left with a broken bone after an inmate faked a seizure and threw a TV at her colleague, the POA said.
The union repeated its calls for boosted protection for prison officers.
Mr Gillan said: "Escalating levels of violence are out of control in the prison service in England and Wales.
"It is clear prison regimes must be reviewed as a matter of urgency. We need action to protect prison officers before there is a fatality."
Thames Valley Police said it was investigating an attack on a member of staff at HMP Woodhill. Leicestershire Police has been approached for comment.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: "Officers at HMP Woodhill attended hospital yesterday following two separate incidents. All were discharged on the same day.
"We will do whatever is necessary to keep our staff safe.
"The Lord Chancellor [Shabana Mahmood] has announced a review into protective body armour and a trial of Tasers in jails to better respond to serious incidents and will update shortly."
On Wednesday, Mahmood said more than 1,000 inmates would be released early to free up prison spaces, as the government continued to grapple with an overcrowding crisis.
Additional reporting by PA Media.
Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
HM Prison Service
POA
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Yahoo
Sweden to hire prison cells in Estonia for up to 600 inmates
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden will send up to 600 criminals to serve their sentences in an Estonian prison under an agreement announced by the government on Wednesday aimed at reducing pressure on the country's overcrowded jails. From July next year, Sweden will be able to send men over 18 who are convicted of crimes ranging from murder to sexual offences to the prison in the Estonian city of Tartu. The agreement needs to be approved by parliament in both countries. "The whole prison will be placed at Sweden's disposal," Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told reporters. "Sweden's prison system .. is under tremendous pressures and in that situation needs a plan for expansion to deal with that." Sweden will pay 8,500 euros ($9,680) a month per inmate, a saving on the average 11,500 euros a month cost in Sweden. A wave of gang-related violence over the last decade has led to tougher laws and sentencing in Sweden pushing up the prison population. In May, around 7,300 inmates were held in 5,235 cells - an occupancy rate of 141%, figures from the Swedish Prison and Probation Service showed. Including standby accommodation, the occupancy rate was 96%. The Prison Service reckons 30,000 people could be locked up in Sweden in 10 years. Belgium and Norway have hired prison places in the Netherlands. Denmark has an agreement with Kosovo, a move heavily criticised by Danish human rights experts. ($1 = 0.8783 euros)
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Yahoo
Axon roadshow stops in Grand Chute, showcasing law enforcement technology
GRAND CHUTE, Wis. (WFRV) – Arizona-based law enforcement technology manufacturer Axon Enterprise's massive semi-truck pulled into Grand Chute Police Department's parking lot Tuesday morning ahead of its roadshow, giving officers from agencies across the area the chance to get hands-on with the equipment. 'It's up to each agency, whether it's local, county or state, to find the appropriate funds and do those long-term contracts and have the capability to have that latest technology in their hands,' Axon Enterprise roadshow team lead Andrew Padilla said. Amid years of increasing scrutiny for law enforcement, Padilla believes that Axon's products — particularly body and dash cameras — hold a crucial role in transparency and trust for the public. 'It's about capturing the truth,' Padilla said. 'It's going to give you that angle that the officer was seeing, it's going to give you that daytime perception whether the officer is outside, they go into a dark room, they go into a basement, they climb into an attic.' Grand Chute Police Department stands by the significance that high-quality recordings have in the public's eyes, and they are used regularly by officers, according to Corporal Dylan Davis. 'That can be used in court, that can be used in investigations, we can refer back to those notes or body camera video if we have to refer back to a specific statement somebody says,' Davis said. 'The incidents that law enforcement deal with is important to capture and release to our public, as well as in the court process, to help gather that evidence, whether good or bad, to help in our investigations.' Davis was excited to welcome Axon and agencies from across Outagamie County and further-away jurisdictions in Wisconsin, as he hopes that it can help other departments make upgrades to their equipment after trying it Tuesday. 'Maybe if some agencies aren't using that technology, they can come and see how they can implement that in their agency,' he said. The Grand Chute Police Department uses a system of body cameras and Tasers that Axon makes. A development in recent years is that the cameras are synced with squad car lights and sirens, and also the tools on an officer's belt, so that the cameras begin recording as soon as an officer takes action without actually having to physically turn the cameras on. 'Now that we have those automated systems in place, our officers can focus on the task at hand rather than worrying about those technologies,' Davis said. 'Technology makes us safer, our community safer, and we like to be able to stay ahead of that.' One item that Grand Chute Police is investing in is the Taser 10, the latest in Axon's line. I got to try it myself. After pulling the safety switch, a quick pull of the trigger is all that it takes, and a laser aids in aiming. With no training, the instructor said I nailed the target, shooting two prongs at least 12 inches apart on the target. User-friendly, accurate and efficiently deployed within seconds, it's officers' chosen tool to safely take an individual into custody who is resisting or running. 'Once our department officers are fully trained up, we're going to move onto the Taser 10s, which Axon has here to demo,' Davis said. 'The Tasers cause what's called neuromuscular incapacitation, so it locks the subject up and allows officers to take control of the subject so that our officers don't get injured as well as the subject.' Axon travels to departments across the country and will be visiting Mequon on Thursday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Yahoo
'Insufficient progress' made on drugs at Prison
A report into a category C men's prison has found that drugs remain easily available, with almost a third of inmates recording positive readings during random drug tests. HMP Erlestoke, in Wiltshire, was inspected over three days in April, following up on concerns raised about "safety", "respect" and "purposeful activity" during the previous inspection in 2024. HM chief inspector of prisons said good progress was being made in one out of the nine areas of concern, with reasonable progress being made in five. A Prison Service spokesperson said they are pleased improvements have been recognised, adding "more needs to be done". Three areas were found to have demonstrated insufficient progress. The report found that no improvement had been made in relation to prisoners' access to drugs, with the rate of positive random drug tests remaining at 32%. It also found that there had been 426 emergency medical calls in the previous six months for prisoners suspected of being under the influence of a prohibited substance. "Insufficient progress" was also made in improving the first night cells and preventing self-harm. The report said that despite a reduction "there was still no action plan to address the high levels of self-harm and to prevent future self-inflicted deaths." Support for prisoners who needed help with reading was also found to be lacking. Improvements were found to have been made with "overall levels of violence now lower than in similar prisons" and work had been done to address antisocial behaviour and reduce the use of force. The report found levels of violence had reduced by 25% since the 2024 inspection, including the number of serious assaults. The number of incidents of use of force had also decreased during the same period. It further noted that "positive steps had been taken to address negative perceptions of treatment among prisoners from ethnic minority backgrounds." The Prison Service spokesperson said: "We are pleased inspectors have recognised improvements in tackling violence and antisocial behaviour at HMP Erlestoke. "But we know more needs to be done, which is why we are working with police to keep drugs out of the prison and supporting prisoners with substance misuse addiction through our drug recovery wing." Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Prison made 'insufficient progress' with drugs Prison 'less safe' following Covid-19 restrictions
